Don Atchison maintains lead in close mayoral race: poll

A Mainstreet Research/Postmedia poll is showing a tight race in this year's municipal election.

Among decided voters, support for incumbent mayor Don Atchison remains at 29 per cent compared to Mainstreet's last poll in July. In second place, city counsellor Charlie Clark has slipped by two percent to 24 per cent support, with city planner Kelley Moore in third place at 18 per cent. Former mayor Henry Dayday has slipped to five per cent, down from 10 per cent from July.

• Poll finds Don Atchison and Charlie Clark tied in Saskatoon mayoralty race

"The fundamentals of the campaign look very different than the last time we polled," said executive vice-president David Valentin. "Don Atchison's support is unchanged but a slight dip for Charlie Clark means Atchison now leads outside the margin of error."

Valentin said a large mass of undecided voters - 22 per cent of those polled, shows the race is still very much on.

"As we head into the final weeks of the mayoral campaign, we expect there will be lots of movement in all directions."

As far as election strategy goes, Valentin said Atchison needs to hold onto his current level of support, while Charlie Clark needs to focus on stealing anti-incumbent votes away from Kelley Moore and Henry Dayday.

Meanwhile, the pollster is impressed with Kelley Moore's gains, becoming a strong contender in just a few short weeks.

"So far, her campaign launch and focus on city financials seem to be paying off, but with the city now planning a fiscal update before the election, she will need to find new ways to keep the focus on her campaign."

According to the poll, voters should see a solid turnout at the ballot box this year. 73 per cent said they were certain they would vote this year.

Mainstreet surveyed a random sample of 802 Saskatoon residents by Smart IVR on September 13, 2016. A mixture of landlines and cell phones were surveyed. Margin of error: +/- 3.46%, 19 times out of 20. Results were weighed by age and gender based on the 2011 Canadian Census.

The municipal election will be held October 26th.